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ARTICLE · 09 MARCH 2021

Human rights and responsible business conduct: developments to watch in 2021

Corrs Chambers Westgarth
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Prepare for increased scrutiny. 6 important developments for organisations to watch.

AustraliaGovernment, Public Sector
Abigail Gill
Abigail Gill
Phoebe Wynn-Pope
Phoebe Wynn-Pope
Kate Gill-Herdman
Kate Gill-Herdman
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An extended version of this article was originally published by the Law Society Journal, and is available here. 

There is one key takeaway for organisations considering human rights in 2021: be prepared for increased scrutiny - from international and domestic trading partners and governments, regulatory agencies, investors, civil society, consumers and shareholders. 

In this article, we outline six important human rights and responsible business conduct developments for organisations to watch in 2021.

  1. More scrutiny of supply chains for organisations sourcing directly or indirectly from Xinjiang and China more broadly.

  2. Greater expectations to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence as the European Union inches closer to making this mandatory - while the European law will likely span the full range of human rights and environmental issues, one important aspect will be an ability to demonstrate adherence to the principle of 'know your

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

    Lawyers Weekly Law firm of the year 2021                  
 Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (WGEA)

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